Barley Rosemary Strawberry Shortcakes and Coconut Whipped Cream

These little strawberry shortcakes are lovely and festive. With their ruby red berries

and fluffy clouds of whipped vanilla coconut cream, sandwiched between a sweet, crumbly biscuit made with earthy barley flour and coconut oil — eat them al fresco after a barbecue for a light and beautiful summertime dessert.

Barley Rosemary Strawberry Shortcakes and Coconut Whipped Cream [Vegan]

Ingredients

For the Barley Biscuits:

• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut yogurt
• 1/2 cup full-fat (canned) coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups white, all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup barley flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated raw sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 tablespoons solid, chilled coconut oil (chill in the freezer for 10 mins until solid)
• A little coconut milk mixed with a little maple syrup to brush
• A little extra raw sugar to sprinkle on the tops

For the Strawberries:

• 2-2 1/2 cups of strawberries, tops trimmed, strawberries rinsed and sliced into thick slices
• 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped (about 3 teaspoons once chopped)
• 2 teaspoons raw granulated sugar (or a little more if your strawberries aren't very sweet — taste them to check)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 small lemon
•  good squeeze of fresh lemon juice

For the Whipped Cream:

• 2 tins chilled coconut milk/cream (leave in the fridge overnight or longer if you can)
• About 4-6 tablespoons of raw granulated sugar (add less to begin with then add more to taste towards the end of whipping)
• 1-2 vanilla beans, seeds scraped (or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste)

Preparation

To Make the Biscuits:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut yogurt, coconut milk, and apple cider vinegar, then set aside for a few minutes to 'activate'.
3. In a large bowl, combine the white flour, barley flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Remove the chilled & solidified coconut oil from the fridge / freezer and cut into chunks. Sprinkle over the flour mix and cut into the flour with a pastry blender, knife or your fingertips. Cut the coconut oil into the flour until there are mostly small pea-sized pieces of coconut oil left with a few larger bits visible.
4. Add the yogurt-milk mix and fold together until just combined, don't overwork the dough and don't let it warm up too much (keep that coconut oil chilled!).
5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and lightly pat it flat until about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the dough in half, then pat it out again. Continue the folding-patting until you have folded the dough 5 times, then pat it out until it's about 1/2 — 1 inch thick.
6. Using a floured 2-inch biscuit/scone cutter, cut out as many biscuits as you can. You can lightly pat any scraps together to make more biscuits, but try not to work the dough too much if you can, or they won't be super fluffy. You should be able to cut out about 9 biscuits.
7. As you cut the biscuits, place them on a parchment-lined baking tray, sitting them close together so that they rise up rather than out. Brush the tops with a little of the coconut milk-maple mixture and then sprinkle with your desired amount of raw sugar.
8. Place in the oven and bake for 10–12 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before assembling the shortcakes. Best eaten within an hour or two of baking.

To Mix the Strawberries:

1. Mix together all of the ingredients under the 'strawberries' heading, and allow to sit for 10 — 20 minutes before assembling the shortcakes.

To Make the Coconut Cream:

1. Scoop the thick, creamy part off the top of the chilled coconut milk/cream tins (save the watery bit for smoothies etc.) and place in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of the sugar and the vanilla bean seeds. Whisk together with a handheld electric whisk until the cream is fluffy and forms soft peaks. Taste the whipped cream now and add a little more sugar if desired until it is sweet enough for your liking. Continue to whip the cream a little longer until stiff peaks just begin to form.
2. Use straight away or keep covered in the fridge until you are ready to serve (I actually think it tastes better after it's been chilled for an hour or so, the flavour of the vanilla really shines through if you let it chill out for a bit!) — give it a little whisk to fluff it back up before serving.

To Assemble:

1. Cut a biscuit in half and place the bottom piece on a plate, scatter over a handful of the strawberries and pile on a fluffy scoop of whipped coconut cream. Cover with the top half of the biscuit. Repeat with the other biscuits / berries / coconut cream.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/barley-rosemary-strawberry-shortcakes-and-coconut-whipped-cream/